Tell me about Eugene

[thelocknestmother]

DH is looking at jobs all over the country and has already talked to a recruiter here.  I gather that things will be just fine with wanting a liberal town. ;)  I guess I want to know about walkability, bike-ability, safety, where are nice neighborhoods to live, cost of living, is the sun really gone a lot of the time? ;) Thanks!

[thelocknestmother]

No one?  :)  DH has a phone interview Monday...Prob flying out in September to check things out if Monday goes well.  :)

[mistymorning]

I'll reply!  We just moved here, literally a few days ago.  I can't answer too many questions yet, but the town is VERY walkable/bikeable-you see everyone everywhere walking and biking.  I come from Alaska, where you don't see so much of that, so I am super impressed.  I love it.  The weather has been beautiful, but I know this area had a very late start to spring/summer with lots of rain.  My husband, who went to college here, says yeah it rains a lot, but it's not really that bad.  I lived in the Seattle area for 7 years, he says it's not as bad as Seattle.  Cost of living is relative-for us, coming from Alaska, it's cheap.  We are paying for my husband to fly back up to Alaska once a month for his job, and we can do that because the cost of living is so much less.

I like it here!  Good luck!

[jenrose]

The "worst" neighborhoods in Eugene proper would make most city dwellers laugh at the idea that they were bad neighborhoods. I lived in the "worst" for a while, and while I had to call the cops a few times, it was mostly for annoyances, not severe dangers. (Most of the calls were verging on comic, actually.)  

Great neighborhoods: A lot of people love South Eugene, but it's by far the most expensive, and I feel, overpriced real estate in the area. If you're using public schools, South Eugene High is probably the most welcoming of "offbeat" people, but the city as a whole is pretty good.

We live on Harlow Road and the neighborhoods in the vicinity are lovely. I also enjoyed living down near the fairgrounds, the neighborhoods down there are a really neat blend of people and the trees are great. 

Cost of living: Not terrible, not the lowest you'll find. WAY better than most major cities.

Transportation: We live on one of the busiest bus routes in the county, and it's GREAT for my husband and teenager. It's also saved us a ton of gas vs. living out West 11th ave (which I really didn't like very much. Not a bad neighborhood, but kind of far from everywhere I prefer to shop.) If you live in certain areas of town, you can walk, bus, or bike almost anywhere you'd be likely to want to go. I use the car once or twice a week to grocery shop. My husband never, ever drives if he can help it.

The weather is great here from June through September. It's lovely in the spring, if wet. If the idea of a cold, rainy winter stretching from November through March makes you want to claw your eyeballs out, it's probably not the right place for you. Personally, I dislike the evil day star, and much prefer the winter. During the summer, Oregonians get confused when moisture falls from the sky. During the winter, we get confused when it doesn't. It is nowhere near as bad as Seattle for weather, here. 

Safety: Drivers here are FANTASTIC compared to most other places I've ever driven. Polite most of the time, reasonably rule abiding, courteous... it is noteworthy when someone acts like a jerk behind the wheel. Most of the crimes I see or hear about (my husband is a defense attorney) that are not a direct result of crappy interpersonal relationships are property crimes, like car break ins. And even those aren't really all that common if you don't own a Honda. (I'm serious about that... every Honda we've had in the family has been stolen. The only time my non-Honda cars have had problems is when I left them unlocked.)  Crime is not a major concern day-to-day. 

The major issue in town is that unemployment levels are very high. Honestly, I sometimes think that's a draw for some of the old hippies in town.